Law & behold Kapil Sibal

TNNMay 23, 2004, 07.43am IST

Congress spokesman Kapil Sibal has been the party's face on television networks and most often than not he has been pitted against professional rival and BJP spokesperson Arun Jaitley. A trained lawyer and additional solicitor general of India between December 1989 and December 1990, Mr Sibal was widely expected to be appointed law minister after he defeated BJP's candidate from Chandni Chowk Smriti Z Iraani of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhie Bahu Thi fame by a considerable margin.

Considered a brilliant trial lawyer by many, Mr Sibal could have been a bureaucrat but he chose to pursue a career in law. After graduating from St Stephen's College and studying law at Harvard Law School, Mr Sibal first entered the Parliament in July 1998 when he was elected to the Rajya Sabha to represent Bihar. Prior to this (in 1996), he contested the South Delhi seat unsuccessfully against BJP's Sushma Swaraj.

He, however, came under the spotlight on May 11, 1993 when he addressed Lok Sabha on the impeachment of the Supreme Court judge V Ramaswami.

An active member of the bar associations, Sibal has also been the president of the Supreme Court Bar Association for three terms. He was the Congress parliamentary party secretary for the two-year term from August 2000 and a member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on stock market scam set up in April 2001, besides being on board of House committees on business advisory and home affairs.